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About this Book

In the first century, the Thessalonian church grieved deaths in their community, endured harsh persecution, and struggled with questions about the future. Paul offered them the comforts and reassurances of hope in the Messiah. But he offered far more than wishful thinking or 'pie in the sky' comfort. Paul's emphasis on hope in the Messiah Jesus involved capturing a vision of God's redeemed and just future in order to see and live faithfully today. Paul did not believe in a passive hope but an active hope, to which, if the Day of the Messiah is a beacon, believers diligently move having set their course. That diligence is especially captured by love for Christian brothers and sisters, commitment to honest and productive work, and obedience to the truth of the gospel of Jesus.

Contents

Preface
Abbreviations List

IntroductionExcursus: Was the Church of the Thessalonians a Male-Only Guild?
Excursus: Gentile Believers Incorporated into Israel's Story through Jesus
Excursus: Hypothesizing a Clandestine Attack
Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians (1 Thess 1:1–10)Fusing the Horizons: Blood-Blind in the New Covenant Community
Fusing the Horizons: Metamorphosis
Paul's Blameless Ministry (1 Thess 2:1–12)Excursus: Gentle or Infants? (2:7b)
Fusing the Horizons: Integrity and Transparency in New Covenant Leadership
Praiseworthy Endurance Amidst Persecution (1 Thess 2:13–16)Excursus: Could Paul Have Written 1 Thess 2:14–16?
Fusing the Horizons: A Hospitable Community for All People
Paul's Love, Pride, and Concern (1 Thess 2:17–3:13)Fusing the Horizons: Life Together
Exhortation to Persevere and Grow in Holiness, Love, and Integrity (1 Thess 4:1–12)Excursus: Sexual Immorality in the Greco-Roman World
Excursus: "Sibling Love" (philadelphia)
Fusing the Horizons: A New Covenant Community of Love
Excursus: Work and Quietness
Fusing the Horizons: Living Quiet Lives in a Noisy World
The Hopeful Fate of the Christian Dead (1 Thess 4:13–18)Fusing the Horizons: The New Covenant People of Hope
The Day of the Lord: Preparedness and Perseverance, Not Prediction (1 Thess 5:1–11)Excursus: Whose Peace and Security?
Fusing the Horizons: War and Peace: The New Covenant Community in Action
Final Instruction (1 Thess 5:12–28)Fusing the Horizons: The New Covenant Community, A People of Prayer
Thanksgiving and Hope (2 Thess 1:1–12)Excursus: Eternal Destruction (2 Thess 1:9)?
Fusing the Horizons: Can Suffering for the Kingdom Be a Blessing?
Perseverance and Hope (2 Thess 2:1–17)Fusing the Horizons: Living beyond Fear
Mission and Community (2 Thess 3:1–18)Fusing the Horizons: Leadership and Work

Extracts

About the Author

Nijay K. Gupta is Assistant Professor of New Testament at George Fox Evangelical Seminary, Portland, Oregon. His recent books include a commentary on Colossians and Prepare, Succeed, Advance: Getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and Beyond (Lutterworth Press, 2017).

Reviews and Comments

In conversation with the best interpreters of the Thessalonian letters across the centuries, Nijay K. Gupta offers us a rich feast of insights into these very early Christian Scriptures. Simultaneously accessible and perceptive, attentive to historical context as well as contemporary theological and spiritual concerns, this is a commentary for students, pastors, and all readers of Paul.
Michael J. Gorman, Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology, St Mary's Seminary and University